A Glimmering Night
by TheMagicWorks
Summary: I could force myself to kill everyone in this wretched arena. But not Glimmer. Killing Glimmer was unthinkable. No. She was dangerous, mysterious, seductive and flawless..


I was on guard duty again.

Okay, fair enough I'd offered but I was tired. Tired, hungry and cold. But what was I meant to do? Until either I or everyone else was dead, I was going nowhere. The fire glow was only slightly warm and the ground uncomfortable but I lay there, thinking.

The light was fading, creating new shadows and dark patches around me. It was nice, calm, different. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, the fading embers of our fire being swept away. I lifted my face, letting the light and shadow dance across my skin. The trees stood utterly still, statues in a living museum where no leaf dared to fall. My hands behind my head my eyes focused on the trees, considering a way out of here as soon as possible.

I figured plans every night, a fight with Marvel wouldn't be so hard, if anything fun but killing him would still hurt. Clove, I'd grown up with her. It would be even harder too see her leave this world. But 12, oh yes, killing Peeta would give me pleasure, he was pathetic. Nobody else mattered. It'd all be fine, I could force myself to kill everyone in this wretched arena.

But not Glimmer. Killing Glimmer was unthinkable. No.

Although I was still starving, I was glad I'd given Clove and Glimmer my extra meat. Clove and Marvel were fast asleep, Marvel snoring loudly as always. Lover boy lay against a tree, and snorted in his dreams. Glimmer was the only other awake, sitting just across from me cross-legged. Her eyes were closed and her breathing heavy, as if she was far away. As if she was home.

Even in the deepest moonlight, beneath the shady trees, in a place that was peaceful and didn't seem to belong in the arena- she was beautiful. Her soft skin beneath his fingertips, her curls of sweet blonde and face flecked only slightly with dirt.

The shimmering eyes he'd met a few days ago, shining in excitement were now red, less shiny and like she'd just been crying. Her body was rigid, I knew too well she had learned to always be on alert. She was dangerous, mysterious, seductive and flawless..

"I don't want to do it." I mumbled.

"Cato. Stop it." she said simply, coming away from her dream-like stage. Her eye-lids flew open and she flickered into life.

"What? I'm just saying. What if it comes down to us? Just us?"

"Cato, listen to me." She leaned forward, closer to me, taking my face in her little hands. "If it does, you should go home. The odds are in your favor and not mine-"

"But!" he interrupted.

"NO!" she almost yelled putting a finger on his lips. "Go home, win, win for me. And at the right time kill me."

"No! Glimmer! What're you saying?"

"I'm saying, that you will win The Hunger Games."

"No."

"Let's not talk about this." she begged. "We're arguing, that's not right."

Over to the side Marvel and Clove were still sleeping, weapons drawn close. I felt sorry for them. I felt sorry for us all. And then she came, closer, laying beside me, nestling her face into my chest. Yes, I admit, shock ran through my body. I took her in my arms, feeling her soft skin, my hands tracing from her face to her back.

A few moments passed, we focused on our I felt something wet hit my chest. She was crying.

"Hey, hey!" I said comfortingly pulling away from her to see her face. In all the games, the death, the hunger, the pain; nothing had hurt me more than watching her cry. "Hey Glimmer! Don't cry!"

"I don't want to kill you either." She sobbed, burying her face into my chest again. I just held her, because I figured that's all I could do. I mean I had no answers for her. I had plans, yes, let someone else kill me before her. But I couldn't tell her that, not now. Not here, not ever. Checking quickly that everyone was silent, I put my lips to her ear.

"Kiss me Glimmer." I whispered feeling her whole body tense. Slowly I smiled, moving a piece of silky hair that'd fallen from her face to behind her ear. And then, I watched her draw nearer. "Kiss me."

And she did.

As I lay there in a daze of my own thoughts, I felt a body crawl on top of mine. But as soon as her lips touched mine I was lost. The light pressure of her wonderful lips and the smell of her skin as her hand grazed my cheek. Her hair was silky soft as usual. Yes, the others were close but in my mind, we were alone there in the moon light. I held her close, and she was protected within the extremely tense circle of my arms. Her lips had always looked so inviting, yet until now I didn't want to invade them.

I was sure, I'd carry this moment to my grave. The premature death I'd go to for her. For Glimmer.

"I love you Cato."

And even though, our feelings were mutual, even though I'd planned to die before tomorrow, and even though the best thing would be to tell her no, to save the pain; I told her the truth. I admitted it. The feelings I'd had since I first met her. The feelings I was struggling to keep to myself.

"I love you too Glimmer."


End file.
